365 Project
In 2014 I did the 365 Project - I tried to take a photo a day for the whole year. A few of my photos ended up on this tumblr, but they were mainly posted on my wordpress.
When I started doing the 365 Project I had this lofty goal of using it as a way for me to improve using my DSLR. A photo every day? If I thought I was ever going to be “a photographer”, a photograph every day should be a piece of cake! After all, it’s what I most want to do, and what I’m passionate about.
But, like most resolutions, this one started from a good place but quickly revealed itself to be something that would require a great commitment; more than I realised. Not just when I felt good, or when the year was fresh. Not even when I had a specific event, or an “excuse” to photograph something. The true measure of how committed I was came at those times it was hardest – when I felt uninspired, when I felt angry or resentful that I hadn’t been able to take a photo that day, and most especially when I felt down (I had a few really, really low points this year).
And yes, in the beginning I did use my DSLR for a majority of the time but that was something that fell away the further along I got in the year. But instead of getting discouraged, or using it as an excuse - well, I’ve already ruined it now by not using my proper camera, I might as well stop - I forged ahead and used my phone. I really dislike the camera on my phone, and some photos were truly bad, but I still kept going. And on the days when I absolutely couldn’t take something, I made myself sit at the computer and edit something I had taken as recently as possible.
It became something that was deeply personal the further along it went. I felt as though people could tell how I was feeling, or what was going on in my life just by one small snapshot. It felt like the year, and time itself, was much more tangible when it was documented in this way.
To read more about my journey, and to see the other months of 2014, see my blog post here
